A local business owner is sounding off on social media following a fire that nearly spread to a seniors’ community behind his business.
Duncan Dairy Queen (DQ) owner Travis Berthiaume says a fire was intentionally set at 4:30 am Saturday morning, that started in the bushes behind his drive-thru and nearly spread to the seniors’ community buildings behind his business.
“A fire was intentionally set by junkies in the bushes that border the DQ and the long term care facility behind it,” says Berthiaume’s post. “I say junkies because if you’re committing crimes, especially when it’s putting many peoples lives at risk, that’s nicest word I can come up with.”
Berthiaume says the building had to be evacuated and fortunately there’s no word of any injuries from the incident.
“I stay pretty quiet on social media about these issues that I deal with almost everyday. However, after today and seeing how close it was to lives being lost I thought it’s time to share,” he says.
The body of his post touches on a lack of accountability, the current state of Canada’s bail system, and current government spending.
“When I’ve approached local, provincial, and federal government officials, I’ve often been met with uncertainty about the best steps to take,” he says. “It’s disheartening that effective solutions seem elusive.”
Berthiaume’s business is in the area referred to by the North Cowichan-Duncan RCMP as ‘the corridor.’ It’s an area afflicted by those experiencing homelessness and drug use.
“Time to take care of this population and get them help, in care, or in jail and stop feeding their life style,” he says. “Also time to take care of the majority of the population and let us feel safe and secure.”
